This Gigapan is to record vegetation changes along the Mahaulepu coastline. Botany students
take annual field trips to this site to learn about coastal ecosystems and plant adaptation to the enviroment.
The Mahaulepu area is composed of Pleistocene Lithified Calcareous dune depositscalled Eolianite.
The dunes are inhabitated by many native coastal plant species .The dunes are also the site of Makauwahi cave
this cave has provided scientist with a continuous picture of the wildlife through sediment deposits and is an active
site for research. The Cave has provided remains of a stit-owl(Grallistrix auceps) flightless rails and other extinct birds.
The primary native vegetation on the dunes is naupaka,akoko,hinahina,portulaca,maiapilo,and ilima. Non native vegetation
Kiawe,haole koa,opuntia,brazilian pepper, ironwood,and many grasses. This coastline is home to the gree sea turtle,Hawaiian
monk seals that use the sandy beaches to rest, and in the summer time whales offshore.